Councilwoman wants Iraq war referendum

By Michael Currie Schaffer
Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.philly.com

Philadelphia voters will get a chance to weigh in on the Iraq war this November if City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell gets her way.

And though the vote has no legal power over American foreign policy, it could have an effect elsewhere on the ballot by turning out voters for Democratic senatorial candidate Bob Casey Jr.

Modeled after initiatives that passed earlier this month in 24 of 32 Wisconsin towns, Blackwell's effort would place on the ballot a question asking voters if they want "to begin an immediate withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, beginning with the National Guard and Reserve and ending with a total withdrawal of all U.S. forces by the end of year 2006."

Blackwell said a resolution would give Philadelphians a chance to send a message to Washington: "It's time to bring our kids home," she said.

Beyond a chance to give the Iraq war a symbolic thumbs-down, the ballot initiative could also serve another purpose amid a hard-fought Senate race. In overwhelmingly Democratic Philadelphia, the referendum could help bring out liberal voters who might be lukewarm about the antiabortion, pro-gun Casey, the front-runner in the Democratic primary campaign to take on U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum in the fall.

Elsewhere, referendums on banning gay marriage have provided a boost to Republican candidates. Ben Manski, a fellow at Wisconsin's Liberty Tree Foundation, which helped plan that state's initiatives and has monitored similar efforts elsewhere, said Philadelphia would be the biggest city so far to put the war issue to voters. "There's a spillover effect from other elections," Manski said.

Steve Burns, a program coordinator at the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, which helped organize the votes in that state, said six of the 24 mostly small towns where the antiwar initiative won on April 4 had been carried by President Bush in 2004. He said the votes had an effect on the state's congressional delegation, whose members stepped up criticism of the war.

"It's kind of a tipping point," he said. "It shows that antiwar sentiment is now the majority sentiment."

Blackwell, a Democrat, said she had not intended the referendum to influence other races. "But I'll take anything I can get," she said.

One whose support she won't have: Brian J. O'Neill, Council's Republican leader.

"We've got a record number of homicides in the city and we're telling the president how to handle international affairs?" he asked. "That's not our job. I'm no on this."

Casey's campaign did not return a call for comment yesterday.

Santorum's campaign did not have an immediate comment.

A Council committee will take up Blackwell's proposal next. Twelve votes are necessary to place a referendum on the ballot. Council currently has 15 members who attend meetings; 12 of those are Democrats and three are Republicans. The proposal must be approved by Council at least one month before the November election to appear on the ballot.

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Contact staff writer Michael Currie Schaffer at 215-854-4565 or mcschaffer@phillynews.com. Inquirer suburban staff writer Julie Shaw contributed to this article.

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